Published: Wednesday, September 4, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 8:50 p.m.

The sound of the Monroe Brothers filled Fred Chaffee's dining room. The 84-year-old closed his eyes, nodded his head and softly whispered the words of the bluegrass music he's loved for nearly 50 years.

"This music here," he said, "you won't hear anywhere else."

Chaffee has 460 records of the different artists and songs that he loves. He's donating 300 of those albums to the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, Ky. at the end of September.

His albums are tucked away behind different cabinets all through his Hendersonville home. Those records, he said, represent classic, traditional bluegrass.

Chaffee doesn't have the stomach for the contemporary bluegrass on the radio today. He's more interested in the classics like Bill Monroe, Lester Flat and Earl Scruggs, or his favorite, Ralph Stanley.

He beamed as he pulled out several Stanley Brother albums and flipped through them.

"Now you can't buy any of these records," he said. "Everything I own is obsolete."

Chaffee has spent much of his life either writing or working in sales. He worked for newspapers in New England and over the last three decades, he's been an avid letter writer to newspapers, magazines and radio stations.

He's written about eating healthy and music. He retired to Hendersonville in 1988 after a lifelong career in sales. He and his wife, Marie, moved to Hendersonville from Massachusetts.

He was surprised that he came across more people in Massachusetts that listened to bluegrass than in his new North Carolina home. The more disturbing trend for Chaffee, however, is the change in the bluegrass landscape. He's not into the new bluegrass sound.

"It makes me pretty sad," he said. "It's not the same at all. It's too commercial."

That's part of the reason why he's donating most of his collection to the museum. It's about passing down a part of history that he loves "on to another generation."

It's a generation that he doesn't totally get. Chaffee doesn't use computers, apps or iTunes. He hasn't even moved on from tape to CD. It's not that he can't. He won't.

"It's a different era," he said. "It's a different world. That's all I can say."

The collection, however, reaches far back into a world that Chaffee is comfortable with — a world before technology and modern music. The collection spans a long time, he said.

"This has been a hobby of mine for practically a lifetime," he said. "That's my thing."

When it's all said and done, the rest of his collection — including albums, autographs and cassette tapes — will eventually end up at the museum, he said.

<p>The sound of the Monroe Brothers filled Fred Chaffee's dining room. The 84-year-old closed his eyes, nodded his head and softly whispered the words of the bluegrass music he's loved for nearly 50 years. </p><p>"This music here," he said, "you won't hear anywhere else."</p><p>Chaffee has 460 records of the different artists and songs that he loves. He's donating 300 of those albums to the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, Ky. at the end of September. </p><p>His albums are tucked away behind different cabinets all through his Hendersonville home. Those records, he said, represent classic, traditional bluegrass. </p><p>Chaffee doesn't have the stomach for the contemporary bluegrass on the radio today. He's more interested in the classics like Bill Monroe, Lester Flat and Earl Scruggs, or his favorite, Ralph Stanley. </p><p>He beamed as he pulled out several Stanley Brother albums and flipped through them. </p><p>"Now you can't buy any of these records," he said. "Everything I own is obsolete."</p><p>Chaffee has spent much of his life either writing or working in sales. He worked for newspapers in New England and over the last three decades, he's been an avid letter writer to newspapers, magazines and radio stations. </p><p>He's written about eating healthy and music. He retired to Hendersonville in 1988 after a lifelong career in sales. He and his wife, Marie, moved to Hendersonville from Massachusetts. </p><p>He was surprised that he came across more people in Massachusetts that listened to bluegrass than in his new North Carolina home. The more disturbing trend for Chaffee, however, is the change in the bluegrass landscape. He's not into the new bluegrass sound. </p><p>"It makes me pretty sad," he said. "It's not the same at all. It's too commercial."</p><p>That's part of the reason why he's donating most of his collection to the museum. It's about passing down a part of history that he loves "on to another generation."</p><p>It's a generation that he doesn't totally get. Chaffee doesn't use computers, apps or iTunes. He hasn't even moved on from tape to CD. It's not that he can't. He won't. </p><p>"It's a different era," he said. "It's a different world. That's all I can say."</p><p>The collection, however, reaches far back into a world that Chaffee is comfortable with — a world before technology and modern music. The collection spans a long time, he said. </p><p>"This has been a hobby of mine for practically a lifetime," he said. "That's my thing." </p><p>When it's all said and done, the rest of his collection — including albums, autographs and cassette tapes — will eventually end up at the museum, he said.</p><p>Reach Millwood at 828-694-7881 or at joey.millwood@blueridgenow.com.</p>